Most importantly, check out Dave’s career voting record on VoteSmart. Dave has a very poor voting record on conservatives’ bucket list and an excellent voting record in support of progressive issues.

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Dave Loebsack is my congressman. I voted for him in 2006 when he defeated Republican Jim Leach and each election since then. I worked with friends and family to help him get elected. I viewed Jim Leach as an enabler for the Bush/Cheney administration and I was ecstatic when Dave won. I am proud of Dave and his representation of my district.

There has been a great deal of wailing and gnashing of teeth on social media over Dave’s vote on the immigration bill this week. He voted with 46 other Democratic representatives with a majority of Republicans for a bill that makes it more difficult for Syrian refugees to enter the country.

This is a bill that President Obama has vowed to veto, and Senate Democrats have committed to blocking any attempt to override that veto. This is a bill that was going to pass the House by a large margin and very likely will never be put into effect. So what was at stake with this vote? Was it messaging? Was it principle? Was it a progressive purity test?

Dave represents one fourth of the population of Iowa. District 2 runs from Davenport to Osceola to Newton. It is urban and rural. We Iowans are a mixed group. And our district is a mixed group. Dave is committed to and does a great job of, representing the whole district.

He attempts to work across party lines to benefit all of us. He takes votes that I disagree with. He at times offers weak defenses of these votes. But for those who take this to mean that he is no longer worthy of your support I have these questions. Do you not understand the political process? Do you not see what has become of the Republican Party here in Iowa and in the nation?

Dave has a great record in his 8 years in congress. He works to get things done. He works with others to get bills passed. Yes – he votes against his party at times. Yes – he votes against the president at times. Yes, at times the president and the Democrats pass legislation that I don’t agree with. But to say that Dave Loebsack does not serve and represent our district well is just plain wrong. He leads on some issues and he follows on others. I find that most often he has well-reasoned explanations of his positions.

Disagree with him on his votes. Let him know why you think he is wrong. But leave off with the “I deserve better” rhetoric. Leave off with the “someone more progressive should run against him in a primary” rhetoric. And please leave off with the name calling. He is at this time the last standing Democrat from Iowa in Congress. He’s there because he works hard and because he’s in the District every weekend meeting and talking with Iowans. He deserves better from you.

4 Responses to An Open Letter To Progressive Critics Of Dave Loebsack’s Vote On The SAFE Act

I think you miss the moral aspect of this. I have never written to Dave about other issues where I disagreed with his votes, nor am I particularly active politically, but this vote upset and offended me deeply. It should never have been treated as a matter of political calculation–it is not hyperbole to liken it to the decision to turn away Jewish refugees in the 1930s. These are human beings fleeing death and destruction. In the current climate it’s pretty clear what this bill represents, but Dave’s justifications for have missed the point entirely and have seemed disingenuous. I am hoping he comes to see this as a mistake and repudiates his vote.

I’ve gotten to know Dave Loebsack these past several years and know how hard he works for Iowans! He cares about all of us and has and will continue to help lay out the best plans, vote for us, and I believe in him! As for stopping the refugees, I’ll be truthful; I’m undecided. I can see pros and cons. My heart breaks for them and part of me thinks we should reach out to them, let them come into the U.S. with thorough screening. The other part of me thinks that we should protect our citizens and not chance it. I have to think our elected officials in higher power know more than we do and will do the best for the United States of America! May God bless each of us, no matter where we live!

Dave still needs to explain why he thought the Safe Act legislation was necessary. If he wants my support on this, he has to offer more than “it will do no harm.” The harm is obvious to the refugees needing immediate assistance and the degradation of our principals as an immigrant nation.

This is a wrong vote! We already have a lengthy process to vet anyone coming into the country. The terrorists in Europe were homegrown and not from Syria. This is not what our country is about. As someone who has been. an advocate for the poor, disadvantaged, and downtrodden, this vote makes no sense, unless you are succumbing to Republican fear mongering!

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